There are some clear nods to the 1968 film, some playful and other obvious, others embedded into the sort providing a clear line to the events of the first film there is one moment that was in danger of pushing the film into parody but a crucial story point met it just before we were carried over and the film never looked back. Without this the film would have been a visual effect showcase riding on the dead horse of a franchise which used to be interesting. But at its heart this is a story about a family in trouble which rebuilds itself only to see everything torn apart. Frieda Pinto’s vet (Ape Doctor? We’re never too sure) adds little to the film. Tom Felton’s Angry Ape Handler is incredibly one note, given nothing more to do than sneer and snarl – he’s an actor surely capable of more. The script gives the actors nothing more to work with Arsehole Neighbour being just that. The human characters are where the film lets itself down with David Oyelowo’s Greedy Corporate Bloke simply being greedy and corporate. Sadly the same cannot be said for the rest of the cast. Andy Serkis doing some of his best work here. There are not too many leaps to make to see how this premise goes horribly wrong.įranco and John Lithgow make a decent father and son pair, and their scenes with the infant Caesar are crucially engaging. It revolves around two beings: James Franco’s scientist who is working to cure the disease killing his father and in doing so causes the apes he is testing to experience increased intelligence and Caesar, one of these apes, cut off from his own kind and emotionally isolated, feeling the burn of not being one thing or another.
Rise of the planet of the apes review series#
After two films, the last being the 2008 crime thriller The Escapist, Wyatt showcased his take on the origin story for the Apes series with riot footage, prison drama and wildlife and science documentaries spliced together, and all of these elements make it in to the final film but with one crucial addition – an emotional heartbeat that engages completely. We are firmly in blockbuster season, and in a time when the common wisdom has it that you are encouraged to switch off your brain to enjoy what’s on offer there comes a film about the power of intelligence.įox were asking a lot of Rupert Wyatt, the British director who found himself in charge of one of the most well known, if not now well regarded, franchises in cinema.
0 kommentar(er)
